Commentator Jarrett doesn't miss driving

Now the popular 51-year-old is starting over as a television commentator for ESPN, working this weekend's events at Kansas Speedway.

"I honestly don't (miss driving)," Jarrett said Friday. "There's really only been one place that I drove in the gate that I said, 'Wow, it would be cool (to race),' and that was Indianapolis. I love that place and I always knew every time that I went there that I had a good chance to win. It was just a different feel.

"But that's really been the only week (I missed it) because this keeps me busy and I was ready to get out of the car. Everything was perfect timing."

Jarrett said that even though he's no longer driving, he still gets butterflies when he gets ready for a NASCAR broadcast.

"There's nerves," he said. "Even though you drove a race car for 30 years you still got that excitement about it and that little bit of nervous tension and nervous excitement before every race. I think it's going to always be the same with TV, and just hoping you're prepared.

"Obviously it's a job and anything that I do I want to be doing my best at so you'll still get nervous each time before they say, 'Alright, we're going on the air in 30 seconds.' "

Jarrett admits that broadcasting is more of a challenge than he might have realized when he signed on with ESPN.

"It's more time-consuming and there's a lot more that goes on," he said. "I tell people now that I've been as guilty as everybody else that you just take it for granted that when you turn your TV on the show is supposed to be there and you expect everything to run pretty smooth.

"But there's so much that goes on. I'll be quite honest, there have been times that five minutes before we're going on the air I'm thinking, 'There's no way this is going to happen and if it does happen it's not going to be all that good.' We pull it off and everybody's spectacular, but it takes a lot of people and very qualified people to make it happen. It's a lot tougher business probably than I ever imagined it was."

Jarrett said he's enjoying the transition.

"I have a great time, I really do, because I'm looking at races from a totally different perspective than I ever have before," Jarrett said. "All I was ever concerned about was my race car, my race team and how we could be faster than everybody else.

"I'm having a great time learning that (other) side and keeping up with the sport more. I know more about the sport now than I ever knew while I was in the middle of it driving the race car, simply because that's part of my job, to know the things that are going on and to be able to speak somewhat intelligently about it."

And Jarrett is grateful that ESPN gave him the chance to remain involved with the sport he loves.

"This certainly came a very opportune time for me to be able to put that part of my life aside and say, 'I've done everything there that I needed to do, I accomplished probably more than I ever envisioned I could and now let's move onto this.' "